A 30-year-old man has tragically died after falling from a height of 30 metres during a visit to the archaeological site of Petra in Jordan.
Andrea Sferrazza, from Turin in northern Italy, was walking along a path that is currently closed to tourists when the tragedy occurred on Friday.
The tourist, who had been living in London where he worked as a pizza chef for six years, was visiting Jordan on his own as his brother Luca, who was planning to travel with him, was unable to get annual leave at work.
Luca, 34, described his younger brother Andrea as his best friend, saying they were very close and constantly talked to each other even though they lived in two different countries.
Local authorities in Jordan said Andrea was visiting a path that had been closed to the public due to heavy rain.
After falling, he was taken to Queen Rania Al-Abdullah Hospital, where he died from his injuries.
His brother Luca said the pair had talked after Andrea landed in Jordan, as he wanted to share his itinerary with him.
He had plans to return to London after his trip before travelling to Turin for his mum's birthday.
Andrea was already thinking about his next trip as he wanted to visit Egypt, Luca added.
The older brother said: "He was a lonely, independent kind of guy.
"We should have done this trip together, but I was unable to take time off from my job as an accountant.
"So we said it would be for the next time."
In London, Andrea worked at Soho House, a private members' club famous with celebrities, where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle first met in the summer of 2016
His heartbroken brother added: "We spoke every day. Andrea wasn't just my brother, he was my best friend."
According to the Italian news agency Ansa, police have launched an investigation following Mr Sferrazza's death and an autopsy will be carried out in due course.
The famous site of Petra, located in Jordan's southwestern desert, dates back to around 300BC and was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom.
Surrounded by mountains riddled with passages and gorges, it is one of the world's most famous archaeological sites and in 1985 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Millions of tourists visit Jordan every year, mainly to visit Petra, with 4.6million people travelling to the middle-eastern country in 2022, according to Al-Monitor.
Suleiman Farajat, head of the Petra Development and Tourism Regional Authority, said the post-pandemic tourism comeback had exceeded all expectations.
